Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling

Product Description New York Times bestselling author! Here is the story of how Jim Ross, an Oklahoman farm kid with a vivid imagination and seemingly unattainable dreams, became “The Voice of Wrestling” to record TV audiences and millions of fans around the world. There are few people who have been in the wrestling business longer than Jim Ross. And those who have made it as long as he has (half a century to be exact) probably made enemies or burned bridges. But that’s just not JR. He’s recognized as the man who built and nurtured a once-in-a-generation talent roster that took the WWE to new heights, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock to name a few. Readers will finally get the opportunity to hear never-before-told stories about the politics, wackiness, and personalities of all the biggest stars. Jim opens up about his life as an only child on a working farm, who became obsessed with professional wrestling having first saw it on his grandparent’s TV. Even though the wrestling business was notoriously secretive and wary of “outsiders,” he somehow got a foot in the door to start a historic career, one where he held almost every job in the business—from putting up the ring to calling matches, from driving his blind, drunk boss towards revenge, to consoling two naked 600 pound brothers in the shower room after a rough match. This isn’t just a wrestling story. It’s a story about overcoming adversity and achieving your dreams, as success did not come without significant costs and unforeseen challenges to JR, including multiple bouts of severe facial paralysis called Bell’s Palsy. Currently the host of the podcast The Ross Report, any fan of wrestling—from the territory days to today—will be enthralled with stories from the road and behind the scenes. Slobberknocker is the first time Ross tells his story—and you don’t want to miss it! Review “I realized very quickly at the beginning of my WWE career that if I was going to be successful at my craft, then one of the main components I needed was a conduit between myself and the global audience watching from home?that conduit was Jim Ross. I needed a trusted voice to make the audience at home feel the performance I was giving in the ring. Proud to say we reached our global audience in a very big way. ” —Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, former WWE champion and Hollywood superstar “Jim Ross is not only the greatest wrestling play-by-play man ever, he's the architect behind the greatest roster in WWE history. He's also a master storyteller and this book is the perfect forum for his more than forty years of tales from his time in the business. So put on your black Resistol and get ready for an amazing read that is anything but bowling shoe ugly!” —Chris Jericho, former WWE champion and New York Times bestselling author “[The] book is unique, introducing [JR] as a person to readers but also covering some of the most seminal moments in wrestling.” —Justin Barrasso, Sports Illustrated “While Slobberknocker is not a traditional wrestling book by any means, with Ross having stepped into the ring under duress only on a couple of occasions, there are some incredible nuggets of wrestling history built into a book that covers so many years. WWE fans will certainly be interested in hearing about Ross' transition into the WWE.” —Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com “For many wrestling fans, Jim Ross is the voice of a generation—bringing respectability, drama, humor and a dose of realism to WWE programming for more than a decade. It’s those qualities that he brings to his new memoir Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling. The mix of tales from backstage and Ross’ personal journey from humble beginnings to the top of his profession make this a wrestling memoir worth reading.” —Jay Reddick, Orlando Sentinel “ Slobberknocker delivers on what most fans will be expecting. . . . Working with co-writer Paul O'Brien (his initial collaborator, Scott Williams, died unexpectedly i